Roller-type window screen



MW 22; 1951 l J. PNA, .1R 2,553,868

ROLLER TYPE w-INDow SCREEN` Filed Aug. 4, 194e asheets-sneet 1 May 22, Q3, PNA, JR 2,553,868

ROLLER TYPE wINn'ow SCREEN Filed Aug. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedMay 22, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT AOFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to window screens and more especially toimprovements in window screens of the type that are wound on a roller asdistinguished from those stretched over a frame.

Objects of this invention are to provide an improved roller-type screenwhich will be easy to install, wherein the operating parts are simpleand positive in actionand will not make it difficult to raise or lowerthe sash, wherein the v screen may be wound and unwound easily in use,shifted to different positions to cover the entire window or only theopening occupied by the upper or lower sash, which may be operatedindependently of the Window sash or in conjunction therewith, which maybe positioned to be pulled down when unwound to cover the window openingor to be pulled up, which may readily be stored at the top of the windowframe in an outof-the-way position when not in use, vwhich will be ofinexpensive construction, durable and effective. y

In accordance with the foregoing objects, the screen is wound on aroller which has a spring for constantly urging it in a direction towind the screen on the roller, and the latter is mounted between theupright frame members of the win'- dow frame for extension over theentire window opening or such part thereof as is desired. In one form ofthe invention the free end of the screen is anchored and the roller isslidable f on rails, one of which is xed to each of the upright framemembers, Guide members, pivotally xed to the opposite ends of theroller, slid# ably engage and support the roller on the rails', andthese guide members constitute latches which are automatically locked tothe rails by the force tending to rewind the extended screen.

Each rail has in one edge spaced notches with' which the latches may beengaged, and the latter may manually be tilted to retract them from thenotches when it is desirable to extend or shorten the screen. The freeend of the screen is anchored by fastening it to an angle bar and thenscrewing the latter to the window sill or to the top of the windowframe. In this form the roller is movable up and down along the railsand the latches are engaged with notches having upwardly facing stopsurfaces when the roller is at the sill and by downwardly facing stopsurfaces when at the top or" the window. The roller may be stored at thetop of the window frame by engagement of its latches with the notches attheupper end of the rails and by releasing the lowerend of the screenfrom the sill so that it-l may be taken up by the roller. In analternative form the roller is anchored at the sill or at anyintermediate point between the sill and the top by engagementV of itslatches with the notches in the rails, and the free end of the screenmay be drawn 01T the roll to the desired extent either upwardly ordownwardly and is maintained in its extended position by latchescorresponding to those attached to the roller. To this end the anglebar, to which is fastened the free end of the screen, has latchescorre-- sponding to those on the roller pivotally fixed to its oppositeends. In conjunction with the latches on the angle bar there may beyield# able means for yieldably engaging the latches remote from theirpivots and hence holding them in locking engagement with the notches inthe rails. To assist in extending the screen there may be finger holdsattached to the angle bar close to the latches. To insure extending thescreen sufficiently to cover the opening as the sash is raised, it maybe desirable, as illustrated herein to connect the angle bar to thelower rail of the sash by hook and eye means.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.` 1 is a vertical elevation of the inside of a window frame showingthe improved rollertype screen with the lower end of the screen xed tothe window sill and the roller movable vertically;

Fig. 2 is a'vertical elevation of the inside of a window frame showingthe improved rollertype screen with the free end of the screen attachedto the lower rail of the lower sash and the roller fixed at the windowsill;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 showing the railat the left-hand side'of the window frame with which the left end of thescreen is slidably engaged;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the roller as seen on the line 4--4 ofFig. 1 showing the combined guide and latching means for attaching theroller to a rail, showing the screen partially extended and showing thefree end of the screen attached to the window sill;

Fig. 4a is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 4 but with the devicereversed so that the free end of the screen is attached to the upperhori` zontal frame member;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 showing aportion of the window frame and rail in section and the combined guidegaged with the rail;

Fig. 6 is a vertical end elevation on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 showing theroller located at the window sill and held there by the latching means,the screen partially extended, and the free end of the screen connectedto the lower rail of the lower sash;

Fig. '7 is a horizontal section of a portion of the roller at its leftend looking at the top;

Fig. 8 is an isometric View of an alternative construction for the freeend of the screen in which l'atching 'means are employed in conjunctionwit-h the rails showing the left-hand side only;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on the line .SI-4I of Fig. 8;

Fig. l is a left-hand end view of the `latchi-ng means shown in Fig. 8;and

Fig. 11 is a. view similar to Fig. 9, showing a slight modification. v

Referring to the figures, the inside of the window frame I0 is ofconventional construction including horizontal members I2 and I4, theformer constituting the window sill, and vertical members I6 withinwhich there are slidably mounted upper and lower sash I8 and 20. Theimproved roller-type screen, shown generally at 22, is mounted betweenthe vertical frame members I6 and is retained in operative position, aswill appear hereinafter, by a pair of tracks or rails 24, one of whichis shown in Fig. 3, mounted on the inside of the casing opposite eachother between the sill I2 and the upper horizontal member I4. Theroller-type screen 22, .as shown in Fig. '7, consists of a hollow roller.26 upon which a flexible screen 28 preferably of plastic is wound andhas its ends in bearing sleeves 30. Within the hollow roller 26 there ismounted a spindle 32 with its ends projecting into the bearing sleeves.A coiled spring 34 is Vmounted on the spindle 32 (between Yit and the.hollow roller and is fastened at one end to the Yroller and at itsopposite end to the spindle so that va force is constantly applied bythespring in a direction to turn the cylinder 26 about the spindle 32 landhence to wind the 'screen 28 on the roller. The roller, screen andspindle are contained within a housing 36 (Fig. '7) which includes afiat wall 38, a semi-cylindrical curved wall 45 fastened to its oppositeedges, and Vnat end walls 42. Apertures 44 in the end walls 42accommodate the ends of the bearing sleeves 30. The housing is supportedfor movement on the rails 24 by a pair of guide members 48, each ofwhich has a web 50 at opposite sides 'of which are inwardly turnedflanges 52 forming a vchannel for engagement with the opposite edges ofthe rails 24 (Fig. 5). It is to be observed that each rail ischannel-shaped, having lateral flanges at opposite sides which standaway from the frame members to which they are attached so thatI therewill be sufficient clearance for the inwardly turned flanges 52 to slidefreely therealong. The guide members 48 are pivotally attached bysuitable means such as rivets 54 to the ends of the spindle 32. As thusconstructed and as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the housing may bepositioned at different positions on the rails 24 by sliding it alongthe rails in an up or down direction. Notches are formed in the edges ofthe rails with which the guides cooperate to hold the housing at anydesired position. To permit reversing the position of the device so thatthe screen may be extended upwardly or downwardly, each rail isAprovided along one edge with a plurality of reversely positionednotches 58 and 60 (Fig. 3), the notches 58 having downwardly facing stopsurfaces 62 and the notches 60 having upwardly facing stop surfaces 64.In one use the free end of the screen may be semipermanently fixed andthe roller moved along the rails. To this end the free end of the screenis attached to a stii angle bar 66 having a horizontal ange 68 bybending the free end of the screen double about the horizontal flangeand placing over it a channel 10. Apertures are formed through thehorizontal flange 68 and .the channel '10, and through these aperturesare passed screws l2 for fastening the free end of .the Ascreenft'o thewindow sill I4 or if the device is used in the reverse position byscrewing the bar GSto the member I4 at the top of the frame.

As .thus arranged, .the screen is drawn from the housing to cover thewindow opening, left by raising y'or lowering the sash a given amount,by sliding the housing in the appropriate direction along the rails. Thehousing will'be 'automatically 'locked in position when it is Lplacedopposite the appropriate notches 60 or 60 by vthe force Vwhich Vtends torewind the screen 'on the roller, that is, a force having a line ofaction in the `plane of the screen and an arm equal to the distancebetween the plane of the vscreen and the axis of the spindle 32 whichtends to `tilt the spindle in a counterclockwise direction as seen inFig. 4, the housing being prevented from tilting by engagement of theflat wall 3.8 with the angle members 23 situated at opposite sides ofthe frame and interposed between the Arails 24 and the frame. Thiscauses biasing of the latches v48 with the result that the flanges -52engage the stop surfaces 62 `or 64 of apair lof the notches. When it isdesirable to change the position of the roller to extend or diminish thelength of the screen, the latches may be rocked into inoperativeposition by thumb pieces 56 formed integral therewith. The angle members23 heretofore referred to form a seal at the sides of the window byclose engagement with the edges of the screen.

In an alternative form of the invention the roller may be anchored, asshown in Fig. 6,-at the window sill by engagement Vof the latches 48with the downwardly facing stop surface 52 of the lowermost notch 58, orat the top of lthe window by engagement with the upwardly .facing stopsurfaces 64 of the topmost notches 60 and the free end of the screen maybe moved in the appropriate direction to extend it across the windowopening. In this form of the invention the free end of the screen is, asheretofore Vdescribed, attached to an angle rbar E5 bymeans'of a channel78. At the oppositeends of the channel are upright flanges 'I4 (Fig. 9)which are pivotally attached at 16, the combined guides and .latches 48corresponding to those attached to the roller as heretofore described.The latches have inwardly directed flanges 52 for engagement with therails, and as the free end of the screen :is moved, these latches willengage the notches 58 or 60 and will automatically be held in lockingengagement with a selected pair of the notches by the pull exerted uponthe screen to rewind it on its roller. To assistin kpositively engagingthe latches 48 with a given set of notches, spring members 'I8 (Figs. 9and 10) maybe attached by screws 8E! to the channel I0 so that theyyieldably engage the under sides of the thumb pieces 56 and hence tendto bias the latches in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig.10., Vthereby positively to bring the flanges 5,2 into engagement withthe stop surfaces. There may also be located close to the thumb pieces56 finger holds 82 (Fig. 8) fastened to or formed integral with thechannels to assist in raising or lowering the screen. In Fig. 10, thereis shown (mounted upon the channel 70) an angle bar 89 having a verticalflange 90 which is directed upwardly and lies in the plane of thevertical ange of the bar 66, by engagement with the rail 24.

It may be desirable to insure extension of the screen sufliciently tocover the window opening to connect the free end of the screen to thelower rail of the lower sash, as shown in Fig. 6. To this end there maybe attached to the channel 'I8 a pair of upwardly extending eyes 84which may be engaged with hook members 86 attached by screws 88 to theinside face of the lower rail of the lower sash or if the screen israised to the upper rail of the upper sash. As thus constructed, whenthe sash is moved, the same screen will move a corresponding amount.

In either form of the invention as disclosed herein, the roller mayeasily be placed in an outof-the-way position at the top of the windowfor storage, for example, during the winter months, when the screen isnot necessary, by moving the housing to the top of the window andengaging its latches 48 with the uppermost notches 64. If the lower orfree end of the screen is attached to the sill, it will be necessary toremove the i.

screws 12 to allow the screen to be withdrawn into the housing. If thefree end of the screen is attached to the window sash, as shown in Fig.6, it may be disengaged therefrom and allowed to be withdrawn into thehousing whereupon the housing may be placed at the top of the window.

The roller-type screen as thus described, it is apparent, is of simpleconstruction, easy to operate, and is adapted to use either inconjunction with the raising and lowering of the window sash orindependently thereof, and, furthermore, may be stored when not in usein an out-of-theway position so that it comprises a very satisfactoryand easily operable appliance.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a window frame including vertical and horizontalframe members, a light-transmitting, foraminous window screen of thetype which is wound on a roller having a spring which tends to wind thescreen onto the roller when the latter is pulled olf, rigid rails fixedto the opposed vertical window frame members for mounting the screenbetween the vertical members of the frame with the screen extended, saidrigid rails having inwardly projecting, laterally extending flanges, theedges of which are parallel and form tracks, slides pivotally fastenedto the lateral edges of the screen at one end, having opposed inwardyfacing channels adapted slidably to embrace said track flanges, saidtrack flanges having notches therealong at predetermined intervals, withwhich portions of the slides may be engaged for anchoring an end of thescreen to the rails while extended, the engaged portions of the slidesand the notches being held in locking engagement solely by the forcetending to rewind the screen onto the roller, and means on said slidesfor rocking them out of engagement with the notches to release theslides on the track and to permit adjusting the extended portion of thescreen to shorten or lengthen it.

2. In combination with a window frame according to claim 1, wherein thescreen is contained within a housing, the slide members are pivotallyfastened to the ends of the housing so that the housing may slidevertically on the rigid rails, and there is means at the free end of thescreen for anchoring it to the upper or lower rail of the window sash.

3. In combination with a window frame referring to claim 1, wherein thescreen is contained within a housing, the slides are pivotally fastenedto the housing so that the screen may be moved vertically along thetracks, there is means for making the housing fast to a rail of thewindow sash so as to move therewith, and there is means for fasteningthe free end of the screen to the upper or lower horizontal framemember. I

4. In combination with a window frame according to claim l, wherein thescreen roller is anchored and the slides are pivotally fastened toopposite edges of the free end of the screen for engagement with therigid rails.

JOHN PIVA, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 269,452 Palmer Dec. 19, 1882482,798 Killinger Sept. 20, 1892 569,592I Slight Oct. 13, 1896 933,245Gibson Sept. 7, 1909 997,600 Cabral July 11, 1911 1,073,426 LandfairSept. 16, 1913 1,870,920 McNulty Aug. 9, 1932 1,952,689 Selje Mar. 27,1934 1,990,830 Lang Feb. 12, 1935 2,107,755 Kemp Feb. 8, 1938 2,207,856Gieser July 16, 1940

